if i have not love, i am nothing: three mistakes + an unquenchable thirst for adventure

bambi txted 24 hrs early informing me that she's arriving in vigan. she's spending the night over. and the following day.. would be her birthday. she's the second person i know who cries on their birthdays. it must be the realization that they're nearing the big three-o. yet, they feel they haven't accomplished much.

so i decided to get her mind off it. we started the day by having dad's AUV carwashed. i didn't want to show her around with a dirty vehicle. First Mistake.

afterwards, we took an early lunch and watched FlightPlan with the free cinema tickets i got from my sister. by 1:30pm when the movie was over, i was running out of ideas where to bring her since she's been to Vigan twice and have seen most of the tourist spots already.

then i got a "lightbulb" moment. there's this museum which i always pass by heading north that i haven't seen yet: Magsingal Museum. i also remembered seeing a sign "Pikkang Falls" when i visited the adjacent town (San Juan) a few days ago. Without any second thought, off to the museum and falls we went.

Our museum tour was a breeze. Finding the falls proved to be a challenge. I have just seen the sign once. and i had no idea whether trekking to the falls would be worth it. i had no idea also how far it would take to reach it. There's just this part of me that goes after what i want no matter what it takes. "I must see it. And i must go there."

Fortunately, as i was asking directions from a street vendor, one of our staff appeared on a scooter and willingly granted my request to guide us there. He switched vehicles from a scooter to a tricycle and brought another of our staff with him.

I hinted a tone of hesitation when he was saying,

"Maganda naman po, kaso malayo ang lalakarin e. Dalawa lang po ba kayo?"
[The falls is beautiful, but you have to walk far. Will it just be the two of you?]

Being the persistent spur-of-the-moment-show-me-where-the-action-is girl that i am, I shook off his worry and replied,
"OK lang. Ituro mo lang kung san puwede mag park. Kaya namin yan."
[That's OK. Just show me where to park, and we can manage by ourselves.]

They must've thought we girls were crazy. Out of their goodheartedness, they led the convoy and never let us out of their sight.

It was a rough 5 km ride. I should've brought the older SUV. SUVs are built for terrains such as those. Second mistake.

The ride was just the beginning. As we parked in a nearby basketball court, our "tour guide" announced it would be another 20-minute hike. i looked at my feet. i was wearing my punjabi sandals. *sigh* i should've worn my Sandugo (rubber sandals). it would've been more appropriate for hikes like these. Third mistake.

carwash. SUV. sandals. 3 wrong minor decisions. if this whole thing was planned, i wouldn't have forgiven myself. but it being unplanned makes these mistakes a lot more acceptable.